Meetings, workshops, exhibitions and guided tours are among the initiatives organised by the University again this year to mark International Women’s Day. Open to the entire university community and the public, the events aim to highlight women’s contributions across a range of fields and reaffirm the University’s commitment to combating all forms of violence.
The programme begins on 6 March at 15:00 with “I corpi delle donne: in-visibili” (Women’s Bodies: In-visible), the first event in the series “Il silenzio delle ragazze. Gli studi di genere fra storia e antropologia” (The Silence of Girls: Gender Studies between History and Anthropology), hosted by the Department of History and Cultures (Piazza San Giovanni in Monte 2, Bologna). The series will continue with “I corpi delle donne: in-puri” (Women’s Bodies: In-pure) on 24 April and “I corpi delle donne: in-metamorfosi” (Women’s Bodies: In-metamorphosis) on 22 May.
From 8 March to 8 November, a series of guided tours titled “Daughters of the Alma Mater” will be dedicated to the women who have shaped the history of the University. From the first legendary women professors to students of more recent times, the programme retraces the important contribution women have made within the University of Bologna, the first university in the world to award a chair to a woman.
On Sunday 8 March, at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, “WOW Women Motor 2026 – Women Opening Ways” returns: a day open to all, featuring free track activities, workshops with companies such as Ducati, Ferrari and Lamborghini, driving simulators and road-safety initiatives organised by the University of Bologna in the new PITLab space. The event will also offer an opportunity to reflect on themes such as women’s empowerment, gender equality and women’s access to STEM disciplines, with particular attention to the automotive and motorsport sectors.
On 9 March, the event “Una stanza tutta per Lei” (A Room of Her Own) will take place. The Central Library R. Ruffilli in Forlì will dedicate a room and a bibliographic exhibition to Virginia Woolf, who perhaps more than anyone else captured the difficult path of women’s emancipation with clarity and determination.
“Il volo della farfalla. Un romanzo di Patrizia Garelli su Clotilde Tambroni" (The Flight of the Butterfly. A Novel by Patrizia Garelli on Clotilde Tambroni) is the round table that will take place at 14:30 on 13 March at Palazzo Hercolani (Strada Maggiore 45, Bologna). The discussion will focus on the novel, which provides the starting point for a reconstruction of the life and scholarly work of Clotilde Tambroni, a prominent figure in eighteenth-century Bologna and at the University of Bologna.
Also on 13 March, at the Department of Economics (Piazza Scaravilli 2, Bologna), the Delegate for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity and the Guarantee Committee for Equal Opportunities will promote the meeting “Linguaggi estesi.Riflessioni e pratiche oltre le discriminazioni” (Expanded Languages: Reflections and Practices Beyond Discrimination). The seminar will explore the transformative role of both verbal and visual language in addressing inclusion and equity. Academics and experts from the fields of communication and LGBTQIA+ associations will take part in the discussion, examining ways to move beyond stereotypes, including in relation to the generation of images using artificial intelligence.
“Oltre la violenza: genere, diritti e relazioni" (Beyond Violence: Gender, Rights and Relationships) is a series of seminars dedicated to analysing and understanding the phenomenon of gender-based violence, taking place in Bologna (via Zamboni 38) until 25 March. The programme explores the cultural and social roots of gender-based violence, the international framework of women’s rights and the different forms violence can take.
At the same time, the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the University of Bologna and NipPop, in collaboration with GEMMA – Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree in Women’s and Gender Studies and with Euterpe, will host in Bologna (via Cartoleria 5) “Femminile plurale: corpi, immagini, voci dal Giappone” (Plural Feminine: Bodies, Images and Voices from Japan). The series consists of four meetings, from 6 to 27 March, dedicated to contemporary Japan and exploring the role of women in culture, politics and literature. Through authoritative voices and interdisciplinary perspectives, the cycle offers a reflection on the transformation of female subjectivities between Italy and Japan, bringing experiences, imaginaries and professional paths into dialogue.
The University is also continuing its commitment by expanding the activities of its helpdesks dedicated to tackling gender-based violence and all forms of discrimination related to gender identity or sexual orientation. “After Bologna and Forlì, and only a few months after the opening of the Ravenna office, a helpdesk against gender-based violence will also open on the Rimini campus. This represents a further step forward that will allow us to strengthen the network of university help desks and expand opportunities for support and counselling through the presence, in almost all campuses, of services based on the expertise of specialists and staff from the anti-violence centres in our region,” highlights Professor Cristina Demaria, Delegate for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity.
Finally, students of the University of Bologna will be able to visit the exhibition VIVA VARDA!Il cinema è donna with a reduced ticket of 5 euros. Hosted at the Galleria Modernissimo (Piazza Re Enzo 3, Bologna) from 5 March 2026 to 10 January 2027, the exhibition is dedicated to Agnès Varda, the first woman director to receive the Academy Honorary Award and a prize-winner at the Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Locarno film festivals.
